The bulls, Kumi and Mchawi lead the way to the fenced pasture as the small herd stays tightly together
Watusi Cattle STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE
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The Stables welcomed four unique new residents this spring when a small herd of registered Ankole Watusi cattle moved into the southside pasture on Stables Loop, said Linda Ingram, who along with her husband, Stanley, manages The Stables operations for Russell Lands. Two steers and two bulls were purchased from a breeder in North Carolina last winter, but clearance to export the exotic African animals to Alabama took more than a month. To make room for the cattle, the Ingrams moved some of The Stables’ horses to other pastures on the property. “That takes some doing because horses don’t always get along with each other. You have to see which ones like
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being together,” he said. Russell Lands Chairman Ben Russell was inspired to bring the exotic animals to Russell Crossroads after he saw them elsewhere, Stanley said. “He thought they would be interesting for people to see. I had worked with some small ones for roping years ago, so he asked me to find some,” Stanley said. “They are unusual.” Watusi cattle have been privately bred in the United States since 1960, Ingram said, but there are only about 1,200 registered Watusi cattle in the U.S. today. In the 1930s, African nations prohibited exportation of Ankole Watusi, and for many years, they could only be seen in zoos.
JUNE 2022
